Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1887-03-08
A WESTERN STAGE RoBBER.
The Lawless Career OF the Daring
and Desperate Burton.


Tertiary at Albany, N. Y, where he was
serving life sentence for stage and mali
robbery in Colorado.
The crime of White, or Burton. al
though it occurred at time when stage |
robberies and hold-ups were OF common |
occurrence in Colorado, was so bold and |
daring in character that it occasioned |
great excitement and comment all over
the country. The whole career of the |
robber shuws him to be desperate OF |
the most pronounced type. The 18th OF
June, 1881, the stage running between |
Lake City and Alamosa was making the |
trip to the latter place with fourteen pas
sengers, including one lady. About mid |
night the stage had reached point about |
nine miles west of Alamosa. Suddenly |
the cry OF "Haltp' was heard,
"For Gods sake, don't shoot" ex-
claimed the driver.
Out of the darkness appeared the form
of a man with masked face and cooked |
revolver. In courteous tones he re-
quested the passengers to alight and be
relieved of all superfuities on their per-
sons. Across the road heavy branch
had been placed, and on this hung a
large piece of canvas. From behind the
canvas number of dark objects strongly
| resembling rife barrels were pointed at
the coach.
"Don't shoot, boys" the highwayman
called out to the darkness behind the
canvas; "these people are all right"
He then proceeded to blindfold the
passengers and to reap harvest of about
| So 900, including the mail-sack, contain
ing several registered letters, calling every
now and then to the force behind the
canvas His work done, he bade the
passengers "good night" and disap-
peared. The news of the robbery caused
great excitement, particularly after it
was discovered that the man had been
entirely unaided in his attack on the
fourteen passengers, an investigation
showing that the supposed rifle barrels
behind the canvas were only collection
of dried and blackened sticks. To show
more plainly yet the daring OF the man,
he was of slight build and consumptive.
His right hand was crippled and he was
lame in one leg. Yet he had overpow-
cred thirteen male passengers, including
number of freighters, by his consum-
mate GOODNESS and daring in carrying out
his ruse.
The robber was arrested in Pueblo the
day following the hold-up by City Mar
shall Desmond. The latter Immediately
telegraphed the fact of the arrest to the
postoffice officials in Denver, and was in
structed to bring the prisoner to that CITY,
July LIST the Marshal with his charge
started for Denver. Realizing that he
had desperate man, Mr.. Desmond did
not leave his side until the train was
speeding down this side OF the divide
south of Castle Rock. He then rose for
glass of water.
Burton made rush for the door. The
train was moving at the rate of twenty
five miles per hour. Desmond made
clutch at the escaping prisoner, but was
too late. Burton plunged on his
shoulder on to the ties, his head falling
but few inches from the rails. He rose
and made over the prairie.
Desmond and number OF the pas
sengers followed in hot pursuit, but it
was not until Desmond fired shot which
grazed the robbers head that the latter
came to halt 1t was then found that
in his flight he had taken Desmond's
valise with him, expecting, as he after
wards explained, to find revolver in it.
He had in some way managed to draw
one hand out of his manacles. Burton
was then taken to the county jail in
Denver.
Meantime stories of his past life began
to be circulated. 1t appeared that he
was at the time OF his arrest under in
dictment for murder in Texas, and also
for robbing stage-coaches. Five years
penitentiary for robbing stage
; previous to his advent into Col
| do hry
President Hayes. Between the time of
his pardon and the stage robbery in this
State he had been putting in his time
committing a murder and robbing three
stage coaches. He had fixed methods
in his exploits similar to those used in
his Colorado feat He always went alone,
and usually employed the ruse of pre-
tending that he had force of armed &C
completes in the background. He was
noted for his chivalry, never robbing the
ladies', treating all the passengers with
courtesy and politeness. While he was
robbing the Alamosa coach, one of the
passengers begged for money to buy
drink when he reached Alamosa. With
grim humor the robber handed him 80.
1t became apparent that White was
, desperate of the most pronounced kind,
and he was guarded with the utmost care
during his sojourn in the county Jail In
Denver. In the course of few months
, he was taken to Pueblo for trial. During
his trial there he was confined in the city
Jail, and made himself again notorious
by another daring and desperate attempt
to escape. He tried his operations on
Deputy United States Marshal Sim Can
! trill, but the latter was at the time smart
: ing under the fact that Billy Leroy, an
other stage robber, had escaped from him
on the Kansas Pacific, near Fort Wallace,
q few days before. He was too gamey
, for Mr.. White
, Whites scheme in this case showed
the same daring and cunning which al
ways characterized him. He in some
manner got hold OF some tinfoil. This
J he shaped in his hands to the form of
revolver. One evening while Cantrill
was alone with him in the cell, he sud-
denly produced the tinfoil pistol and
! cried out to Cantrill to "hold up his
, hands" Cantrill did not detect the ruse
and probably supposed that that moment
would be his last; but nevertheless he
made rush on White, seized him and
threw him to the floor, and then for the
: first time discovered that the prisoners
weapon was not genuine one.
: The trial of White occasioned
much interest throughout the country.
1t resulted in his being sentenced to
life imprisonment. Then came the aues-
J ton, where could he be confined with
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